Music and lyrics by Victor N. Hafichuk
Winnipeg, Manitoba, February 27, 1981

There is a difference in outlook and attitude between believers and unbelievers when they hear the words of this song’s title.

When unbelievers hear the words, “What will be will be,” they often assume fatalism is at play. What is fatalism? It is this notion or attitude that there is a general ill-advised resignation to one’s circumstances and events as though there is no control possible in or over them. Things just are and cannot be otherwise. 

Some may think such an attitude is irresponsible, inexcusable, perhaps cowardly. “We aren’t robots,” they argue, “we are the sole masters of our destinies.” 

True, we aren’t robots, and false, we’re deluded if we think we have any mastery of ourselves.

It’s certainly true that many professing believers in Christ think they have free will to govern their life’s course. They see God has given them the power to choose, mistaking that power for free will – “Repent.” “Do good.” “Go and sin no more.” “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” “Obey the Commandments of God.”

On the other hand, when the believer with genuine, substantial faith in God hears the words, “What will be will be,” he believes God is the Sovereign Lord, Engineer, Sustainer, and Conductor of everything in His creation. “Without Him was not anything made that was made.” “By Him, all things consist.” 

The one with faith in Christ sees he has no free will, that God has predetermined all things, and that if God isn’t in full control of any small part of creation, He isn’t in control of anything. It’s one or the other.

There’s great rest in believing God is in full control and that we have the sure hope that we can’t screw anything up, no matter how full of fault we are. There’s joy in the knowledge that “all things work together for good,” and that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but because of Him who hath subjected the same in hope.”

If you believe God’s in full control, it is comforting. If you think you have any control, it can be scary and not very promising. 

Man is subject to seeing God as nowhere around and if He is around, He’s disinterested or unable to take care of things, especially the small things. Faith from above brings man to believe in Almighty God and to know God presides over every detail of life, not one detail exempt. 

In retrospect, I’ve come to understand that God has engineered every detail in my life. I see how He has dealt with me and everything concerning me. I see that as He has led me in the past when I didn’t realize it, so He leads me in this very moment of writing this article about a song He gave me, both lyrics and melody. 

I’ve come from unbelief and worry to faith and assurance. I’ve come to rest learning God is in full control and that I have nothing to fear. What a good place to be!